It is known to use various combinations of chisels and hammers in order to impart a force upon a targeted object. In the automotive repair industry, it is often necessary to reshape and straighten vehicle body frames which have been damaged. Various forms of frame straightening machines are available for such purposes. However, even with the availability of such machines, it is still necessary in most cases to apply manual force to the frame in order to achieve the exact type of reshaping necessary to straighten the frame. Particularly for hard-to-reach locations on the vehicle frame, pneumatic or hydraulic machines are simply not able to be positioned in a manner to provide force against the targeted frame location. Also, for intricate reshaping of smaller frame members, machines are unsuitable. Thus, the straightening of a vehicle body frame still requires a considerable amount of manual labor.
One disadvantage of using a hammer and chisel is that the hammer and chisel have to be firmly gripped. Because metal to metal contact is made between the frame and the chisel, most of the force of the impact is transmitted back through the user's hands and arms. This force transmitted back through the hands and arms of a person can cause great pain and discomfort, as well as to cause premature fatigue. Because the hammer has to be swung with great force, the hammer itself can become a danger, particularly in hammering out those hard-to-reach locations on the frame. These and other known hazards make the use of a chisel and hammer undesirable.
Therefore, a need exists for a device which can be safely and easily manipulated by a user for applying a desired amount of force to a targeted object. A need also exists for a hammering device which allows a user to vary the amount of force applied by the device without having to substantially change the user's physical efforts in manipulating the device.
It is one object of this invention to provide a slide hammer device which is able to transfer the force of an impact to a specific targeted object. It is another object of this invention to provide a slide hammer device which minimizes the reaction force which is transmitted back through the user's hands and arms. It is yet another object of this invention to provide increased safety with a hammering device. It is yet another object of this invention to provide a hammering device which has removable and varying tip configurations in order to further control the type of force applied to the targeted object. These objects and others will be explained more fully below as they apply to the slide hammer device of this invention.